Bible Strands
Matthew 20:17
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside and said,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus takes the twelve disciples aside while traveling to Jerusalem. This moment occurs immediately after His teaching on the laborers and directly precedes His prophecy of delivery to the chief priests and scribes.
The words — The Greek ἀναβαίνων (anabainōn) literally means "going up," marking the physical ascent to the city. The participle μέλλων (mellōn) translates to "soon to be" or "about to," establishing the immediate chronological frame for the events Jesus is about to detail.
The thread — This narrative structure repeats in Mark 10:32 and Luke 18:31, where Jesus similarly isolates the Twelve during the ascent to Jerusalem. The pattern of revealing divine intentions mirrors Genesis 18:17, where God discloses His planned actions to Abraham.
Why it lands — The text records Jesus' deliberate preparation of His followers for the imminent fulfillment of prophetic events. It requires the reader to acknowledge the factual transition from public teaching to impending historical suffering without minimizing the sequence.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
Cross-references
- Mark 10:32 As they were going up the road to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were amazed, but those who followed were afraid. Again Jesus took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him:
- Luke 18:31 Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
- Genesis 18:17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
- Matthew 13:11 He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
- Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
- John 12:12 The next day the great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
- John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.
- Acts 10:41 not by all the people, but by the witnesses God had chosen beforehand, by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.